The latest rebirth of GTO Engineering will make you dream in California

British Ferrari specialist GTO Engineering has unveiled the latest member of its Revival series, called the California Spyder Revival.

An improved reincarnation of the 1960 Ferrari SWB California Spyder, the car takes on the usual Revival journey, starting its life as a classic Ferrari that was virtually lost to an accident or fire, rendering it beyond repair. The identity of this car then receives new life and is transferred to GTO’s newly built California Spyder Revival.

The result, at least in the case of the first car shown here, is the spitting image of the Cali ‘Spyder purchased by Hollywood actor James Coburn. Painted in black on a red leather interior, the Revival is the result of 1,500 hours of work at GTO’s headquarters in Twyford, about an hour’s drive west of London.

Much like GTO’s Testa Rossa and 250 SWB Revival cars, the California Spyder Short Wheelbase comes with a range of modern engineering upgrades to help make its 60-year-old design suitable for regular driving in 2021. The engineered V12 engine by Colombo can be had a capacity of 3.0, 3.5 or 4.0 liters and the gearbox can have four or five gears.

Other changes to the Ferrari recipe include additional torsional stiffness achieved through reinforced side sills, giving the car greater rigidity than the original Maranello left with in 1960. GTO Engineering will even incorporate a port Discreet USB for charging a smartphone, if desired. But that’s as far as interior technology goes, leaving the handsome ’60s dials, wooden steering wheel and gear intact.

Mark Lyon, Founder and Managing Director of GTO Engineering said: “It’s very exciting to be able to start talking about our latest addition to the Revival series … It’s one of, if not, the the most iconic Ferrari road car of the ’60s and this is something we have worked hard over the past few years to develop … Feedback from previous and new customers of the Revival series is encouraging and we look forward to working with it more owners to create their dream car.

As with other GTO Revival cars, the California Spyder can be purchased in a range of colors and with a customer specified interior. The vehicle featured here is close to that of Coburn (and, more recently, radio DJ Chris Evans, who bought the car for a record $ 10.8 million in 2008). But we could instead opt for a red paint, like the California Spyder presented in Ferris Bueller’s day off.

GTO Engineering’s backlog is now open and ready to receive the first commissions, with prices ranging from around £ 750,000 ($ 1 million) to £ 850,000, plus taxes and shipping, depending on specification and the cost of the donor vehicle.

The car will be on the GTO stand in the “Over the Road” section of the Goodwood Revival, which takes place in Sussex, England from September 17-19.